Saturn is always heaviest when it’s in its own sign. You may have noticed an uptick in obligations, responsibilities, and tasks since it entered Capricorn last December. The commitments grew weightier, the demands are more unforgiving, and the things that people ask of you are far steeper than they’ve ever been before. But the wonderful thing about being born under Saturn is that it also outfits you to take on life’s tough challenges. You know what it’s like to be rejected, disappointed, and neglected. This gives you your ability to take setbacks in stride, to pick yourself up and dust yourself off when you’ve been knocked down, and to focus on your work and tune out the hype because you know that one day your accomplishments will speak for themselves. You don’t aim for instant results. You want the kind of success that will stand the test of time.

“Retrograde” refers to a backward planetary motion. During this time that a planet is retrograde it is said to act contrary to the way that it usually behaves. Since Saturn is the planet of trials and tribulations, one might think that Saturn retrograde describes a period when you are living trial and tribulation free. If only that were true. What the retrograde refers to is Saturn’s role as the planet of time in Astrology. You may have noticed that things have slowed down recently. You might have encountered an unexpected wrinkle, a last minute complication, or a goal that once appeared to be in easy reach was suddenly yanked away. But Saturn retrograde isn’t doing this to thwart you. Saturn retrograde is doing this to say “not yet.” Simply put: your time isn’t now.

This is something that will become apparent on April 25 when Saturn squares Mercury for the third time in just as many weeks. It looks like you’ve been going back and forth with a purchase, a sale, or negotiation and it just isn’t coming together in the way that you had hoped. Something always seems to be wrong. It might be a good idea to call things off because it looks like you’re trying to force a fit. The more you push during a Saturn retrograde, the less progress you’ll make. This is because you are paddling upstream against the current of events. It’s hard for any Child of Saturn to quit before things are settled, but that’s exactly what the Stars say. This is happening because your focus is needed elsewhere.

On April 29 the Sun will form a trine to Saturn. Either an opportunity will fall into your lap or you will see a distant prospect suddenly move closer. Trines are facilitating energies in Astrology. They describe periods when the planets are working together to benefit you. This wouldn’t have happened if you were still preoccupied with a struggle for struggle’s sake because you wouldn’t recognize a good thing when it showed up. But now that you’re more clear-headed, you’ll be able to pursue the path that is just opening up. This Sun/Saturn trine could point to a new romance or it may have something to do with children. It can also announce that this is a time when you are starting a new creative project. You may feel like this isn’t the right time. Maybe it’s not what you planned or maybe you don’t feel like you’re ready. You may be saying “not yet” while the Sun/Saturn trine is saying “now or never.” Chances are you’re better prepared than you think, but you’ll never know unless you try.

June 27 through July 12 is probably one of the most challenging times of the year for you. This is when you will be forced to sever ties with someone or something that you feel you can’t live without. It’s an uncompromising passage because you really must leave this situation behind. It could be a loved one or romantic partner, but it can also be a situation that you set up in your life. This situation may be something you regard as a given – like the way you do business, a valuable customer, or even a supplemental income. In any case it has outlived its usefulness and you can’t continue with this and pursue the opportunity that materialized in late April. You are going to have to decide between the two and it looks like you will choose to let go of the old in order to make room for the new. This will trigger all of your anxieties and fears, but what you’ll also come to discover is that you’ve outgrown them too. In true Saturn fashion, you are better outfitted to deal with the demands that life makes on you than you give yourself credit for. It’s time to throw over those people and situations that have outlived their purpose.

So what are you going to do with yourself now that you have a gaping hole where an enormous time-consuming obligation used to be? Well, you’re going to make better use of your time and energy by directing it towards fulfilling the goals you want to accomplish. This is what the end of July and early August are all about. You will be tempted to go and fill your empty space with new duties and responsibilities but don’t. You need to focus on those new pursuits that materialized in late April because you stand to make a lot of headway now. Don’t be surprised if that spurs you on to make more purges in your life. Saturn is an expert editor and you may now feel the courage to stream line and offload those responsibilities and obligations that no longer make sense to you. Freedom is a heady feeling. And so is mastery of your life. Clearly you still have a ways to go, but clearing out your workspace so you can think effectively and feel fully is pretty much what this first Saturn retrograde in Capricorn is all about. Once you do that, you’ll be in the right headspace to pursue the things that matter most. That said, your Ruling Planet Saturn comes out of retrograde on September 6. You’ll want to check back here then to see what that means for you.